May 4, 2005

Final Stats

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa. - Junior Jeremy Hunt (Tampa, Fla.) doubled to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning and came in to score the winning run one out later, helping Villanova (26-16-2) to defeat Temple (10-28) in a wild game on Wednesday afternoon at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth.

In a game that featured 21 runs, 26 hits, eight walks, eight hit batsmen, five errors and a total of 324 pitches, the Wildcats had the final answer in the bottom of the ninth inning. With one out and Hunt at second after his double, freshman James Dolbier (Lebanon, N.J.) dribbled a ground ball in between the pitcher's mound and third base. Temple pitcher Chris McCafferty fielded the ball and threw to first, where Dolbier collided with the first baseman. The ball got away during the collision, and Hunt came around to score the game-winning run.

The starting pitchers from each team registered just one out apiece, leaving nearly the entire game to the two bullpens. The Owls took advantage of four walks and a hit batter in the top of the first inning to score six runs, putting Villanova in a deep hole before it had its first chance to bat. The Wildcats weren't kept down for long, as they scored one run in the bottom of the first and five more in the second to tie the game at 6-6. Another single run in the bottom of the third inning put Villanova ahead 7-6.

However, as the first three innings had suggested, the game was far from over. Temple scored twice in the fourth inning to regain the lead, 8-7, and then plated single runs in the fifth and sixth frames to take a 10-7 lead. Once again, the Wildcats rallied, scoring three times in the bottom of the seventh to tie the game at 10-10 and set up the game-winning sequence in the ninth.

The turning point of the game came with two outs and runners at the corners in the top of the sixth inning. The Owls had just gotten an RBI single from Frank Nunan to take a 10-7 lead, when Villanova brought senior pitcher Nick Allen (Green Lane, Pa.) into the game. Allen (6-4, 2.87 ERA) finished the game for the Wildcats, retiring all 10 batters he faced and throwing 22 of 32 pitches for strikes to pick up his sixth win of the season. Allen generated a fly ball to centerfield to get out of the sixth inning, and after that didn't allow a ball out of the infield over the final three innings. He recorded three strikeouts and six outs in the infield.

Freshmen Ryan Arcadia (Boyertown, Pa.) and Derek Shunk (Yardley, Pa.), who each had two hits and three runs scored in the game, led off the bottom of the seventh inning with back-to-back singles. Senior Angelo Petracca (Sanford, Fla.) then singled to load the bases, and Hunt reached on an infield hit to score Arcadia with the first of three runs in the inning. The next two batters would strike out, but senior Mark Cardillo (Naples, Fla.) saved the inning with a two-run single to left field that tied the game at 10-10. Cardillo was 3-for-4 with a game-high three runs batted in, while Hunt finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two driven in.

Shunk had an RBI single in the bottom of the second that scored the first of five runs in the inning. Hunt also had an RBI single in the inning, and he and Shunk eventually came around to score when Dolbier delivered a two-run single to center field. Cardillo then singled to score fellow senior Alan Day (Lake Ridge, Va.) with the final run of the inning. Day had a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the third inning to score Shunk and give Villanova what turned out to be a very brief 7-6 lead.

Temple's Pete Colon hit a two-run home run in the top of the fourth inning to restore the lead for the Owls. Colon was 2-for-4 in the game with three runs scored, while Frank Nunan was 3-for-5 with one run scored and two driven in. Dan Brady and Marc Wagner were each 2-for-4 with a run scored and RBI for Temple.

After Wildcat starter Jim Baxter (Point Pleasant, N.J.) lasted for just one out in the top of the first inning, Temple pitcher Carl Taylor suffered the same fate in the bottom of the half inning. Four relievers combined to go the rest of the way for the Owls, with Chris McCafferty (2-6, 6.00) taking the loss in the bottom of the ninth. For Villanova, junior reliever Ted Aust (Phoenix, Ariz.) relieved Baxter and held things together until Allen entered the game in the sixth. Aust (3-2, 1.96) was charged with 12 hits and four earned runs in 5.2 innings. He walked none and struck out two.

The first four innings of the game took nearly two hours to play, as 15 runs were scored and 14 runners were left on base. All eight hit batsmen came in the first four innings of the game, including seven Villanova batters who were plunked. Petracca and Day were each hit twice. Along with his sacrifice fly in the third inning, Day had an unusual line of going 0-for-3 with a run scored and two runs batted in.

Things started to calm down after those first four innings, and late scoring by the Wildcats once again got them a victory. Villanova has scored 79 runs in the seventh inning or later this season, and has won four games with runs scored in its final at-bat.

The Wildcats will now have a nine-day break for final exams, before returning to action on May 13 to open a three-game series with West Virginia at 3 p.m.

NOTES: Villanova is 13-3 at home this season and 18-5-1 against non-conference opponents ... The eight hit batters are tied for the 10th most in an NCAA Division I game ... The record for two teams is 12 hit batters in a game, while the single team record is 10 ... The Wildcats left the bases loaded in each of the first two innings and stranded 15 runners in the game ... Allen's victory was the 19th of his career ... He needs one more win to move into a tie for third place on the school's all-time list with 20.